Thursday, 5 September 2013

GOLA, FULHAM

I always feel very
lucky to live in Fulham – we have everything on our doorstep - we have all the
benefits of living in the capital yet we still have a “villagy” feel.

As you have probably
guessed by now, I love to eat out and being quite lazy, I love to eat out
somewhere within walking distance of home and I have hit the jackpot by having
Gola as my local Italian. It is safe to say we have become regulars and the
food is so incredible we are wary about eating at any other Italians, as they
never live up to Gola’s standard.

Gola is a very cute
restaurant on the Fulham Road with a real Italian feel, the door is always open
and the owner and staff are always welcoming and friendly. If you come as a
couple, with friends or with children, you will always have a warm reception –
just make sure you book before as this place can be so busy in the evenings.

Now on to important
business – the food! The menu is varied, it introduces new dishes every few
months and there are always a few specials. Starters range from scallops to
antipasti plates to Carpaccio. There are amazing pizzas and pastas as well as
mains such as mixed grill or seared tuna – plenty to choose from.

I am a creature of
habit and I like what I like so I tend to stick to my favourite things on the
menu. My fiancé Pascal is much more adventurous and has tried most things (he
likes the place so much he once came twice in one day)! The owner Aaron is
wonderful and will go out of his way to help with your choice and will make
suggestions or even surprise you if you are keen to try new things (Pascal not
me)!

Pascal and I always
like to share a kid’s size pizza to start as well as a burrata caprese salad.
Our favourite pizzas are the Pizza Del Presidente (sausage & broccoli) or
the Pugliese (burrata, cherry tomatoes and truffle oil) although I am a huge
fan of the Gorgonzola too (salami and gorgonzola). When we went this week we
went for the sausage and broccoli.

The base is light and
crispy yet the crust is soft and chewy. The sausage is homemade and the
broccoli very flavoursome plus the exact right amount of cheese. The whole
pizza just tastes homemade and incredibly fresh.

The burrata is also absolutely
delicious – oozy is probably the best way to describe it! Once again the
caprese salad tastes amazingly fresh and the cheese works so well with the
tomato and pesto – it literally just melts in your mouth.

For main I honestly
don’t need to look at the menu – I cannot resist having the Tonnarelli Cacio e
Pepe which is handmade pressed spaghetti with a pecorino cheese sauce and black
pepper and it is served it a parmesan crisp bowl – it certainly feeds my cheese
addiction. Every time I go to Gola I say to myself I must try something new but
it is such a good pasta dish I end up having it all the time. The spaghetti is thicker
than normal and cooked al dente, there is plenty of cheese sauce and black
pepper, the whole experience is cheesy and creamy with a bit of spice from the
pepper to balance it all out. YUM! (Unfortunately the picture does not do it justice - I will take another one next time).

This time Pascal had
the same as me however his other favourite is the veal Milanese, which he
orders with tomato pasta on the side.

Normally we are too
full by this point for puddings although we have been known to have the cheese
board, which has a great selection of hard, soft and blue cheeses.

To end the meal we often have a glass or
three of grappa and then thankfully it is only a short walk/stumble home.

A couple of years ago
my new year’s resolution was to try every restaurant in Parson’s Green, I think
Gola was the third on my list and I loved it so much I gave up on my quest.

We are back next week
for my birthday supper & already I cannot wait for my Tonnarelli Cacio e
Pepe! I cannot recommend this restaurant enough – it has a great atmosphere,
wonderful service and spectacular food – my favourite place to eat in London
(and the rest of the world)!!

About Me

I love food. I literally LOVE food. While I am eating breakfast, I am thinking about lunch and whilst eating lunch, I am planning supper. Then after supper when I am relaxing I am checking out dishes on food spotting, catching up on restaurant news on the Squaremeal or just reading a recipe book (although not all at the same time).....you get the picture....I am OBSESSED!!

While I have always loved a restaurant whether it be pizza express or a michelin starred one, I have only started cooking in the past couple of years. A friend recommended Fay Ripley's books and since then I have cooked from scratch non stop. I love recipe cards from the supermarkets as well as tv show recipes.

I look forward to sharing my views on restaurants and recipes with you and please let me know what you like, want more of or less of etc & if there are any places or recipes you would like me to write about.